Celebrating its 10th anniversary! Enjoy the huge spatial art at the Toyama City Museum of Glass!

  • Toyama
  • Sightseeing
Toyama City Museum of Glass Art has a unique exterior.

Glass" is the theme of the museum.

Museums are usually places where paintings and sculptures are exhibited, but the Toyama City Museum of Glass Art, as its name suggests, houses and exhibits works made of glass. Why not visit the "Toyama City Museum of Glass Art" where the building itself is also attractive?

The connection between Toyama and glass is related to the medicines people take when they are sick. In Toyama, there were many companies that sold household medicines, called "oriyaku," and glass was used as a container for these medicines. Although the demand for glass has decreased with the development of break-resistant plastic containers, projects such as public lectures and the establishment of research facilities have been carried out to preserve the history of glass. The Toyama City Museum of Glass Art is a place where people can come into contact with glass through "knowing" and "making" and actually "seeing" glass.

The entrance to the museum is impressive.

Toyama Kirari, which houses the Toyama City Glass Art Museum, was designed by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma, and in 2017 received the BCS Award for outstanding architectural works in Japan from the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors Associations. In addition to the museum, there is a library, museum store, and café. It is the perfect place to take a break while touring the city.

The outside of the building retains vertical stripes similar to those that were previously built here, with a sparkling design that resembles the snow and ice of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route and the glass artwork housed in the museum. The interior is richly decorated with cedar from Toyama Prefecture, and the diagonal atrium extends all the way to the top floor, creating a space that is impossible not to photograph.
The bench at the entrance also has a secret. Please visit!

Permanent exhibition allows visitors to view the collection at their leisure.

Works collected by the Toyama City Glass Art Museum are exhibited on the fourth floor as the "Collection Exhibition. In addition, the Glass Art Passage is a permanent exhibit on the second through fourth floors, where visitors can appreciate works created by artists associated with Toyama as if they were taking a stroll around the museum. Each exhibit is changed periodically, so you will discover something new even if you visit every time there is a special exhibition.
Glass Art Passage Photo by Toshiharu Murozawa

The top floor is the "Spatial Art" section! Spatial Art" on the top floor

On the top floor, just beyond the atrium, you will find the "Glass Art Garden" created by Dale Chihuly. The Glass Art Garden is open to visitors with a ticket for the permanent exhibition as well as the temporary exhibition.

Dale Chihuly is an internationally renowned glass sculptor who in 1992 received the "National Living Treasure Award" from the United States and is considered a living national treasure in Japan. One of the five pieces on display was actually created and installed in Toyama City.

Visitors can get up close and personal with the colorful, larger-than-life flowers, leaves, and floating balls of glass, which are different from the glass or window glass that we are used to seeing. Although inside the museum, visitors are allowed to take pictures, so why don't you take a picture of your favorite piece from your favorite angle and make it a memory of your trip?
Dale Chihuly, "Toyama Rees", Dale Chihuly, "Toyama Persian Ceiling Chihuly Studio All rights reserved.
For the website of Toyama City Museum of Glass Art, visit

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